UNITED ANNIVERSARY WAR SERVICE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1747, 14 August 1917, Page 2

UNITED ANNIVERSARY WAR SERVICE.

There was a large attendance at the above service in the Town Hal) on Sunday evening. The singing was lead by the combined Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian choirs, under the conductorship of Mr ft. T. Betty. The accompanying music was led by a small orchestra. The service opened with the hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” followed by a prayer by the Lev. A. Harding (Methodist). The iiev. J. 11. Bredin read Psalm XLLV. This was followed by the singing of “Recessional.” Revelation NXI. was read by the Rev. A. Harding, and a. further prayer by the Rev. J. H. Bredin, followed by the hymn, “Eternal father, Strong to Save.” After the address by the Rev. J. H. Bredin, Ihe hymn “Our Cod Our . He Ip in Ages Past,” was sung, { followed by a line rendering of Jackson’s Te Deum by the choir. The Rev. W. Raine offered up a prayer and the Benediction, the service dosing with the National Anthem. REV. J. 11. BREDI.VS ADDRESS. The Rev. J. H. Bredin delivered an eloquent address, which was followed with the cjo.-cst attention. He based his remarks on Psalm 9-L, v li: “for Ihe Lord will not east, off his people, neither will Be forsake his inheritance." The speaker said: "We have jusi entered on the fourth year of a terrible war. Another year's resources have been swallowed up, another year's 101 l has been taken, another year of alternating iiope and fear has gone, but our -piril is unbroken, ottr hope is unipumched. our resolution is unaltered. W’e are mure concerned than ever to light to a finish, to light till victory crowns our arms. \\ c do not now trouble to prove the righteousness of the. war in which we are at present engaged. We have --ellled that question long ago. As 11. (1, Wells says, ‘Creal Hrilain, franco and. Russia have a sense of righteousness in this war such as no nation, no people, has over felt in war before." Wc are convinced of it <mr,selves, and if anything were needed to convince others, the coming into the war on our side of the great republic of the United States of America and (be high and disinterested way in which she has made ihe great decision as declared in the speech of her President, are lilted to do so. Men are not naming these great words, ‘Justice, Liberty, Humanity,’ for nothing, in the back of their minds they know and fool they are lighting for something’ great. But it may he said that we are making tremendous sacrifices for these things. Yes, the great things for which we are lighting are not easily, or quietly won. We look hack over the past three years, and what do we see.' Wrecked houses, anguished hearts, the flower of our young manhood trampled in blood, the prolonged and searching operations which they have suffered who are least able to hear litem. AMs, sacrifice is writ large over the British Empire to-day. We do not emphasize much the sacrifice of mute-,-*' rial (lungs at the present crisis. We think of a higher order of sacrilicc. What about the sacrilicc of the men ” who have laid down their Jives, of the mothers who willingly gave up their loved ones.' What about the sacrilicc of the men who are lighting to drive the Germans back from the fields of Franco: What about the men of the Xavy and the mercantile marine who arc keeping the paths of the sea open and carrying food to our people' Parents who lose their sons, wives who lose their husbands, childreu'who lose their fathers, are

making’ a sacriliee, a saerilice of inestimable value, a saerilice in the face of which we must keep silent notwithstanding any self-denial we are called on lo practice in order to help lo win the war. Are we not; learning the meaning of the sueriliee of Christ anew in the light of the sacrihees, which so many are making/ We are learning that the Kingdom of Clod, the great things for which we are lighting, can only ho established by saerilice —Cod's sacriliee and ours. Men hud become materialised. Life was given up to ease, pleasure, and luxury. Cod is leading as hack to truer thoughts, diviner ways. \Ve are back again, at the cross .of Christ. Cod is leading us; how are. we following/ Th esc are times one would imagine when Ihe most thoughtless would think, when the most careless would consider, when Cod's voice would he heard, when the gates of heaven would he assailed with earnest, importunate prayer, when our churches would be full. But is it so / One would think that the present calamity would lead people to cleanse the fountain of their individual and national life, and remove from their hearts and from their midst the forces that degenerated, and yet social and national evils are rampant. —J Bullishness, disregard of Cod, love of the world, and love of pleasure tire dominating 100 many hearts. Look around, and who would imagine that the Jiereest war the world has ever seen is raging, and that we are one of the chief factors in that war. Watch the people at their /" work, watch them at their amusements, watch them on the Lord’s Bay, and could you tell that many of Urn finest youth of our laud have spilled their blood for them, that many arc imprisoned or lying wounded in hospitals because they went forth to preserve us; that still more are enduring the awful strain and terrible hardships of the campaigu in the field, that a cruel foreign foe may never rule over us. Do we realise this / Bo we ever think of it/ Is it only the mother whose, heart is wrung with anguish as she

thinks of the suffering and agony of her boy as ho died in the thick of the struggle, and as she mourns his loss? Or is it only the widow Avbo has been left with her little ones to carry on the struggle of life, bereft of the help and support of her husband who lies dead on a foreign battlefield? Are they the only ones who are to feel ! Are they the only ones who are to bear the marks of the dread tragedy, and are we to have for our motto, 'Business and pleasure as usual’? Looking around, this is what we are led to believe. Can it bo so with those who have seen beneath the surface of tilings and have grasped the tremendous issues of the present visitation? Can it be so with true Christian hearts? Surely not. Does it not become us to enquire bow far we have sustained the character of a people worthy of tiie sacrifices that have been made, a people righteous before Cod? Let us learn and play our part as Christian men and women. and realising our dependence upon Cod and His sovereignly over all things, let us be instant and fervent in prayer. Let ns pray to Cod that He will tml forsake ns in tin's dark and Ihrcalcning day. that He will crown with success our efforts at homo and abroad in defence of mu' Empire: that He will breathe an invincible spirit into our soldiers and sailors; Dial He will guard and guide our rulers; that He will turn the enemy and sen,; ns deliverance. For these blessings let us besiege; Hie mercy seal of Cod, deeply convinced that He controls Hit* destinies of armies and nations, that Ho gives or withholds victory, and that without Him all exertion is unavailing. Let us (hank Cod, too. on tins ■ miniver.-ary day for His wonderful help and guidance to tin* present lime, and for' the victories He ha--given Us. Let us thank Him for the spirit of Divine dependence Dial runs through our Army and Navy, and for the gracious ministrations to the sick and wounded and dying. Let us thank Him for the unity of our great Empire, never so great as to-day; for Ibe King He ha- >;■! over us : for Hu* rulers He has given tis ; for (he brave officers who lead, nicn and who km»w no fear. Let us (hank Him for (lie s<*ns of Empire who have reached the battlefields from the ends of tin* earth. What a gloriole- tiling it is that the Motherland and her daughters are so closely united, advancing in one solid phalanx against a common foe. All have nobly answered the roll call. from Hu* Southern Cross they gather, From Al'ilc's sim-baked veldt: The dark-skinned Indian warrior Is joined to Saxon and Cell. .From the land of (he Maple they hasten; The east and i he west are met: And the while man hails as brother The man as black' as jet. . “We are proud of those who have gone forth to battle. We glory in (heir valiant deeds. We rejoice that the spirit of the fathers lives in the sons. We think with reverence of those who have fallen, who have paid the utmost price, and we hope and trust that such valour, such sacrifice, shall nol he in vain. Me dwell with admiration on the splendid deeds of our great allies, and we pray that order may soon lie established in Hie great land of Russia, (hat her brave men may finish tin* work they so magnificently began. The struggle is not over. It is a deadly one. .Means fair and foul are employed against us. The Archdemon is still in power and using his frightful devices against us. And unless wo can make good and gain a deidsive victory the enemy will be the winner. Let ns pray God that this may be averted. Let ns pray that this great Empire of ours which has stood for righteousness, truth and freedom, and which is now in the crucible, may be so purged and purified that she will go forth to battle under the direct leadership of God. Let us trust that the brave men who have fallen have not fallen in vain, that hearts have not been broken and homes made desolate for nothing. Fighting for a cause Unit is right, let us set ourselves right with God, and wait with confidence for the end, feeling and knowing that no enemy can gain the victory over us if we are true to our God, true to ourselves, (rue to our country, true to our fellow men.”